Category: NCAA Basketball

Arkansas was exposed from beyond the arch on both ends of the court in its Thanksgiving loss to Illinois.

Freshman Kasparas Jakucionis scored a season-high 23 points, Tomislav Ivisic had 21 points and 10 rebounds and Illinois beat No. 19 Arkansas 90-77 on Thursday in the Thanksgiving Hoops Showcase. Jakucionis hit two free throws to give Illinois a double-digit lead with 3:49 remaining in the game. Arkansas had a turnover and a missed jumper on its next two possessions and Jakucionis hit an open 3-pointer to make it 85-71 at 2:42.

Arkansas basketball head coach John Calipari. © William Purnell-Imagn Images On a bitter afternoon in Kansas City, Missouri, the No. 19 Arkansas Razorbacks (5-2) were defeated by the Illinois Fighting Illini (6-1), 90-77, inside the T-Mobile Center.

Carlos Stewart Jr. scored 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting and Santa Clara pulled away from TCU in the second half for a 69-52 win in the Acrisure Invitational on Thursday. The Broncos broke the game open with a 24-3 run to turn a one-point deficit into a 20-point lead with less than five minutes to play. Elijah Mahi added 13 points and Camaron Tongue 11 for Santa Clara (3-4).

Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 15 of his 22 points points in the second half and Camden Heide added 15 for No. 13 Purdue, which beat N.C. State 71-61 on Thursday in the opening game of the Rady Children’s Invitational. It was a rematch of last season’s Final Four game, which Purdue won 63-50 before losing to UConn in the championship game. Braden Smith had 11 points and and Fletcher Loyer 10 for Purdue (6-1).

Khalif Battle led a balanced attack with 16 points, Ryan Nembhard had a double-double and No. 3 Gonzaga used a first-half blitz to beat No. 14 Indiana 89-73 in the consolation round of the Battle 4 Atlantis on Thursday. Nembhard had 11 points and a career-high 13 assists for the Bulldogs (6-1). Michael Ajayi and Nolan Hickman added 15 points and Ben Gregg 13.

Walter Clayton Jr. scored 21 points and Alijah Martin added 16 as No. 18 Florida beat Wake Forest 75-58 in the ESPN Events Invitational on Thursday. Florida (7-0) opened the second half with a 10-0 run to add to its 32-28 halftime lead. The Gators trailed by as many as nine points in the first half before going on a 12-2 run and taking a 23-22 lead with 4:46 remaining in the half.

This week’s Club Sportico focuses on the college basketball’s “new villain,” UConn men’s coach Dan Hurley, who is drawing attention—and plenty of criticism—for his animated and often angry sideline demeanor. Hurley’s Huskies have won the last two national championships, but the team is struggling. UConn lost three straight games in Maui, despite being favored against Memphis, Colorado …

The Gamecocks held the Cyclones scoreless for nearly 15 straight minutes.

Justin Hill hit two free throws with 4.6 seconds left in overtime and Wichita State pulled out a 68-66 win over Minnesota in the ESPN Events Invitational on Thursday. Minnesota's Brennan Rigsby put up a double-pump, contested 3-pointer from the right wing as time expired and the ball bounced softly off the rim three times before falling off. The Golden Gophers were down 66-62 as the clock neared 20 seconds and Femi Odukale forced a pair of quick turnovers that turned into Rigsby baskets at the rim, tying the game with 13.5 seconds remaining.

Chucky Hepburn scored 17 in the second half and 10 in overtime to finish with a career-high 32 points as Louisville beat West Virginia 79-70 on Thursday in the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals. Louisville (5-1) plays the winner of the game between Oklahoma and No. 23 Arizona for the tournament championship on Friday. West Virginia (4-2) faces the loser in a third-place game.

West Virginia was looking for a different type of feast than most on Thursday afternoon. The Mountaineers faced Louisville in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament and for the second time in 24 hours, WVU played a game that featured overtime. West Virginia's holiday on the hardwood would not end how they imagined as they couldn't keep pace in overtime, falling 79-70.

Duke lost a neutral-court game because of some late-game errors against a blue blood that has more experience — and it showed. Duke’s first loss was Kentucky in Atlanta; the Blue Devils returned home and beat Wofford by 51 a few days later. Duke’s second loss was Kansas in Las Vegas earlier this week; the Blue Devils return home for a game against Seattle on Friday night, with its matchup against Auburn in the ACC-SEC Challenge on next week’s horizon.

Tre Holloman and Xavier Booker combined for eight points in overtime.

Enoch Cheeks scored 20 points to lead Dayton to an 85-67 win over No. 2 UConn in the seventh-place game of the Maui Invitational on Wednesday night.